Sesame fried chicken was originated by a Chinese American and to this day, there have been many variations of this recipe in Chinese Restaurants all over the USA.
Sesame chicken is breaded chicken breast pieces that are deep-fried and tossed with savory sesame sauce that is later garnished with sesame seeds.
You must have known the fact that original sesame chicken is incorporated with Asian flavors and garnished with sesame seeds for people to experience the taste of fried sesame chicken in the dish.
With an air fryer, you get the same taste of sesame chicken as the restaurant ones with less oil and calories, and it takes just 30 minutes from start to finish to make this dish.
Trust me, you would skip the Chinese take-out night with this homemade air-fried sesame chicken with nutty sauce. So, let’s get started.
Why Will You Enjoy Air Fryer Sesame Chicken?
You’ll enjoy this Air Fryer Sesame Chicken dish because it makes extra crispy chicken without drenching it in oil as restaurants do.
Plus, because this dish is so simple, you’ll find yourself seeking excuses to prepare it more often!
Something about Sesame Chicken makes you want to curl up in your favorite sweatpants and watch your favorite TV.
Ingredients
- Chicken – You can use any part of the chicken you like, such as chicken breast or thighs.
- Coating- I used potato corn starch for coating.
- Sauces- Soya sauce and Hoisin sauce.
- Juice – Orange juice
- Sugar – You can either use brown sugar or brown sugar sweetener.
- Oil – You can use olive oil or avocado oil.
- Spices – Just basic ground ginger and garlic powder.
- Thickener – Water and cornstarch are used to thicken the sauce.
Instructions
- Step 1- Cut the chicken into 1-2 inch pieces and transfer it into a bowl. Add the cornstarch to the chicken pieces and coat them evenly.
- Step 2- Transfer the coated chicken to the air fryer and spray olive oil generously onto the chicken.
- Step 3- Let the chicken cook in the air fryer for 7 minutes at 350 °F.
- Step 4- After 7 minutes, flip the chicken with the help of tongs and let it cook for another 7 minutes.
- Step 5- Once the chicken is done, toss in the sauce and garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
Preparing Sesame Sauce
While you put the chicken in the air fryer to cook, start making the sauce.
In a saucepan, add brown sugar, soya sauce, hoisin sauce, orange juice, ginger, and garlic powder, and let it simmer slightly.
Once it starts to simmer, add in the water and cornstarch while stirring it continuously until it is completely mixed and thickened. It would take around 5-6 minutes.
Tips To Make The Best Sesame Chicken
- Potato corn starch is the key ingredient of this recipe to make the exterior of sesame chicken crispy while keeping its interior moist and juicy. So, you need to coat the chicken very well in potato corn starch for a crispy exterior before air frying.
- If you notice that chicken is sticking to the air fryer basket, then better to use parchment paper or silicone liner to avoid this mishap.
- Make sure to spray the olive oil generously on all the chicken to make it crispy.
- If you want to make sesame chicken ahead of time, just make a fresh sauce of sesame and toss it together with the chicken.
- Sesame chicken tastes amazing with chicken thigh pieces as well. So, feel free and confident to use thigh pieces as well.
Nutritional Information
| Calories | 405 |
| Fats | 20g |
| Carbohydrates | 35g |
| Cholesterol | 112 mg |
| Sodium | 1189 mg |
| Potassium | 524 mg |
| Calcium | 34 mg |
You can also check out the following video know to how to make sesame chicken in the air fryer.
What Can Be Served With Sesame Chicken?
Mostly, sesame chicken is served with a bowl of rice, which is what you get in a Chinese food restaurant.
However, there are many other options as well to serve with sesame chicken such as a side of broccoli, a bowl of green salad, and the favorite side of everybody, french fries!
Some other serving suggestions are:
- Pork Dumplings
- Vegetarian Fried Rice
- Chinese Donuts
- Crab Rangoon
- Egg Rolls
How Do You Store And Reheat The Sesame Chicken?
Well, I believe sesame chicken is best enjoyed right away. But if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator while in the freezer, it stays up to 3 months.
Just to let you know that leftover sesame chicken doesn’t taste as crispy as fresh once it is reheated, store the sauce and sesame chicken separately, the sauce will be reheated on the stovetop while the chicken would be reheated in the air fryer.
Can You Make Sesame Chicken Ahead Of Time?
Yes, you can make the sesame chicken ahead of time.
Just make the sesame chicken and store it in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Make sure not to store it longer than 3 days because, after 3 days, the taste of sesame chicken will start to deteriorate.
Sesame chicken tastes delicious when it is hot and fresh, so it’s better to eat it right away from the air fryer.
Does This Recipe Of Sesame Chicken Works In Ninja Foodi Too?
Yes, this recipe of sesame chicken would be applicable for all air fryers from Instant Pot Crisp Lid to Ninja Foodi.
And the best thing about using this recipe in Ninja Foodi Air Fryer is, you can add the sesame sauce right into the chicken after cooking it and then use the sauté function to mix the chicken with sesame sauce. This option makes the sesame chicken a one-pot meal.
What If My Whole Chicken Doesn’t Fit In The Air Fryer?
Depending on the size of your Air Fryer, you can cook the chicken in small or large quantities.
You shouldn’t even have to cut the chicken apart; most air fryer baskets can accommodate an entire chicken! Season the chicken well with salt and pepper and spray with cooking oil. I love making this herbed roast chicken in the air fryer, but honey-lime roasted chicken and sweet and spicy chipotle chicken are also delicious.
Conclusion
Air fryer sesame chicken is an easy air fryer recipe that is made with very few ingredients and can make you want to skip the Chinese takeout with this homemade delicious chicken.
- Cut the chicken pieces evenly sizes to ensure even cooking and crispiness.
- You can easily make this sesame chicken recipe with chicken thighs also as it would taste as delicious.
- Cook each side of chicken for 7 minutes at least, then flip it.
- You need to coat the chicken very well in potato cornstarch to make it crispy.
- If you see that chicken is sticking to the air fryer basket, then use parchment paper.
- There are many options to serve air fryer sesame chicken with.
- If you think that corn starch slurry is too thin, add on some more starch, or if it is too thick, add in some water.